Museveni: Uganda Prepared for Future Conflict with Kenya Over Indian Ocean Access.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has warned that continued resistance by coastal East African states to Uganda’s desire for unhindered access to the Indian Ocean could lead to conflict.

Speaking on Sunday, Museveni expressed frustration with what he called the “selfish mindset” of some coastal nations and argued that oceans and ports should serve the whole continent, not just the countries on the shoreline.

“Uganda is like a house perched on the upper floor of a block of flats,” Museveni said. “Such a house also has the right to the compound below, just like other flats located on the ground floor.

My sea is the Indian Ocean. It belongs to me. I am entitled to that ocean.” He described the idea that coastal states could claim exclusive ownership of the ocean as “madness.”

Museveni said the lack of direct access to the sea hampers Uganda not only economically but also in terms of defence. “In Uganda, even if you want to build a navy, how can you build it? We don’t have access to the sea,” he said, adding that export logistics and negotiations over critical infrastructure “such as railways and pipelines” have repeatedly been sources of friction with neighbouring states.

The President’s remarks followed earlier comments in which he suggested alternative routes to international waters, including navigation on the Nile. He also expressed impatience with the slow progress of agreements and infrastructure projects that would give Uganda a more reliable transit route to a port.

Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is a senior military figure in Uganda, publicly reacted to the remarks and affirmed his readiness to defend Uganda’s interests. The resonant rhetoric has raised concern in the region and prompted calls for calmer, diplomatic engagement to resolve transit and port-access issues.

Uganda already plans and uses several practical corridors, including an oil pipeline project that runs through Tanzania and links to the Indian Ocean via Tanga, and routinely relies on port and transit arrangements with Kenya and Tanzania. The President’s comments underscore how sensitive and strategically important port access remains for landlocked countries in East Africa.